After leading India’s chase in their six-wicket win in Dubai on Sunday, Kohli hit a record-extending 51st century in the limited overs format as he led India’s chase. He became the fastest batter and third man to reach 14, 000 runs in ODIs.
As the 36-year-old entered the 50-over tournament with rumors about his cricket future, the knock from the 36-year-old stood out in the high-pressure match.
Kohli claimed to have “the noise” in order to compile his 100-point total.
“It was clear to me to have control over the middle overs, not risk going against spinners, but to take on the pacers,” I said. I was happy with the template, it’s how I play in ODIs”, he said after the match.
“I understand my game fairly well. It’s about keeping the outside noise away, take care of my energy levels and thoughts. I’m prone to fall into expectations and apprehensions about games like this.
Mohammad Rizwan, the skipper of Pakistan, expressed a rise in his admiration for Kohli.
When everyone was saying he was out of form but entering a match that the world was looking forward to, Rizwan said, “I wonder how hard he would have worked.”
“I praise his hard work and fitness”.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma said his teammates were not surprised by Kohli’s match-winning performance.
“Virat loves representing the country, doing what he does the best, which is what he did today. The dressing room’s residents are not surprised by what he did.
With a flowing punch through the covers from pace bowler Haris Rauf, Kohli finished the match with 13 985 runs in 298 ODIs.
After India’s superstar Sachin Tendulkar (18, 426) and Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara (14, 234), he is the third person to do it.
With a winning boundary and a winning drive, Kohli, who was out for 22 in the opening win over Bangladesh, combined 114 runs with Shreyas Iyer to reach his 82nd century.
The crowd chanted his name as he removed his helmet and raised his bat in a standing ovation.
“I have never thought of Virat struggling for runs”, said Iyer.
He has always been hungry for runs, and I remember yesterday that he arrived almost an hour before we did the practice session. Looking from outside, he looked as crisp as he looks all the time”.
Following India’s triumph at the World Cup last year, Kohli and Rohit decided to step down from T20 internationals. However, they struggled to find their best form in the Test and 50-over formats despite inconsistent run-scoring and rumors that they might soon retire.
The Indian cricket board mandated that contracted players play domestic cricket following the harrowing 3-1 defeat in Australia.
However, both failed, with Kohli scoring six runs off 15 balls for Delhi and Rohit scoring three and 28 in his first and second innings for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.
Source: Aljazeera
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